The Community Cookbook by Chococo
Feel good recipes* to bring you joy *mostly chocolate-related but not all!
Chocolate Brownies by Chococo | Recipe 1
The Community Cookbook
The Community Cookbook
Welcome to The Community Cookbook
In a world of chaos and social distancing, the Chococo team wants to bring you joy. The Community Cookbook is here to bring you recipes, dinnertime inspirations, baking recipes to keep little ones happy and to create joy throughout the community. You can read these recipes online (or print off), and enjoy them, completely for free. If you have any recipes you would like to add to this resource, please email them (& a photo) to info@chococo.co.uk & we will add them on!
The Community Cookbook
Chococo's Squidgy Pecan Brownies Ingredients
200g dark chocolate, chopped 150g unsalted butter, chilled and cubed 3 eggs 125g light muscovado sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 50g fine rice flour or ground almonds (or plain flour if you are happy to have gluten) 1/4 teaspoon crushed sea salt 75g pecans, roughly chopped Equipment
22-cm square brownie tin
Serves
Minutes
Difficulty
12 - 16 35 4/10 As served in our chocolate house cafes & from the Chococo chocolate cookbook! These brownies are wonderfully squidgy & are also gluten-free. 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) Gas 4. 2. Melt the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Once melted take the bowl off the heat and leave to cool for a few minutes. 3. Beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract together in a separate bowl with a handheld electric mixer, until increased in volume, pale and fluffy. 4. Fold the rice flour and salt into the egg and sugar mixture and then stir in the pecans, reserving a handful to scatter over the top. Add the melted chocolate and butter mixture and gently fold it all together. 5. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and tap it on the work surface to ensure it is level. Scatter the reserved pecans over the top. 6. Bake in the preheated oven for about 15-17 minutes, until risen at the edges but still squidgy in the middle. 7. Don't worry if it seems undercooked, as it will continue cooking after being taken out of the oven. Don't be tempted to overcook it or the brownies will be dry. 8. Leave to cool in the tin and then cut into squares of a size to suit you. The brownies will keep stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
The Community Cookbook
The Great Banana Bread Bakeoff Part 1
Enjoy the first Chococo banana bread challenge recipes... Whilst our chocolate house teams are stuck at home, there has been a frenzy of baking & banana breads seem to be a popular choice, so Claire’s daughter Lily decided to join in & created her own version with orange zest & chocolate chips of course! The orange zest is optional, it will taste great without it & you can use less chocolate if you are rationing your supplies, but Lily says don’t use any more chocolate as it will overwhelm. You can of course use chopped nuts or dried fruit instead of the chocolate, or as well as – have fun playing!
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Lily's Banana Bread, with a twist Ingredients 175g plain flour 2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon crushed sea salt 115g unsalted butter, melted 150g golden caster sugar 2 large eggs or 3 medium eggs 4-5 very ripe, small bananas mashed zest of 1 orange 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 100g dark chocolate (c70% cocoa solids), chopped into small pieces
Equipment Loaf tin - greased & floured or lined with paper
Serves 8-10
Minutes 100
Difficulty 2/10
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C 2. Mix the flour, baking powder, salt in a bowl and set aside 3. Mix the melted butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat until blended 4. Beat in the eggs one a time (don’t worry if the mixture curdles) and then stir 5. in the mashed bananas, orange zest, chocolate and vanilla extract. 6. Then add the dry flour mixture. It is easier to add this in stages, stirring it 7. in well between each addition. 8. Pour the mixture into your prepared loaf tin and bake in the middle of your 9. pre-heated oven for 1 ¼ hours. You will know when it’s ready as if you insert a 10.skewer into it, it should come out pretty clean. 11..Leave it in the tin to cool before slicing.
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Simple Polish Pierogi Ingredients For the dumpling dough 250g self raising flour 1 tsp salt 1 tbsp nuetral oil (vegetable oil is perfect) 150ml tepid water For the potato & cheese filling 250g of white potatoes or leftover mash potato from the night before 1 tsp oil 1 medium onion, finely diced 200g grated cheddar or smoked cheese
Equipment Round cutter Rolling pin
Serves 4-8
Minutes 50
Difficulty 4/10
Pierogi are dumplings from Central Europe, and very popular in Poland. They can be filled with a huge selection of fillings, boiled or fried, and are perfect for making in large batches and freezing raw so you always have some to hand. For the filling: 1. Dice your onion and fry gently in oil until softened. you do not want them to brown. 2. Peel and boil you potatoes until cooked though. Drain, mash and combine with your diced, softened onion and grated cheese. Put to one side. For the dumpling dough: 1. Sift your flour into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. 2. Add your salt, oil and water to the well and gently mix in your flour into the wet ingredients until it comes together and forms a soft dough.
3. Turn your dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 mintues until it is smooth and glossy. Then wrap in a tea towel or wax wrap and set aside to rest for 20 minutes. To make your dumplings: 1. Roll your dough out to half a cm thick on a floured surface, and cut circles with your cutter. 2. Take each circle and fill with a teaspoon of filling in the centre. Then fold the dumpling wrapper in half and pinch the edges together to seal. 3. You can boil the dumplings in hot salted water - they will be ready when they float to the surface, or fry in a little butter until just golden.
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Grown-up's Cappuccino Loaf Cake Ingredients 175g unsalted softened butter 2 tbsp instant coffee 40ml of coffee liqueur 100g caster sugar 75g light muscavado sugar 3 large eggs 1tsp vanilla extract 175g self raising flour A pinch of good salt For the Icing 150g mascarpone 5tbsp icing sugar 2tbsp coffee liqueur Ground instant coffee for sprinkling
Equipment 1 loaf tin Baking parchment
Serves 8-10
Minutes 70
Difficulty 4/10
1. Preheat the oven to 170˚C, gas mark 3 and grease a loaf tin and line with baking parchment. 2. Heat the instant coffee and coffee liqueur in a microwave (or small pan) until warm (about 30 seconds will do), stir to dissolve the coffee and cool. 3. In a separate bowl, mix your mascarpone for the frosting with the additional coffee liqueur and chill until needed. 4. In a large bowl, cream the butter with all of the sugars until pale and fluffy. 5. Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla and your instant coffee and liqueur blend. 6. Fold in the flour and salt until you have a smooth batter. Scrape into the tin and tap on a kitchen surface for an even finish. 7. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack; cool to room temperature. 8. Meanwhile, make the frosting. Sift the icing sugar over the chilled coffee mascarpone and whisk together until silky; chill again until needed. 9. Spread the frosting over the cooled cake and dust lightly with finely ground instant coffee (or chocolate covered coffee beans!) for decoration.
Cappuccino Loaf Cake
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The Community Cookbook
Claire’s Chocolate Chip & Peanut Cookies Ingredients 125g unsalted butter, at room temperature 75g light soft brown sugar 150g self raising flour 1 tablespoon milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 70g dark chocolate roughly chopped 70g milk chocolate roughly chopped + if including peanuts: 40g crunchy or smooth peanut butter (preferably one with no palm oil) 40g roasted peanuts, crushed slightly
Equipment 2-3 baking trays lined with baking parchment
Serves 12
Minutes 35
Difficulty 3/10
1. Pre heat the oven to 180 C (350 F) Gas 4 2. Cream the soft butter, peanut butter if using and sugar together in a bowl with a spoon until light and fluffy. 3. Add the flour and milk and mix into a dough. 4. Add the vanilla, chopped chocolates & peanuts if using and stir them into the mix. 5. Divide the dough into 12 balls. Then place the balls on each baking tray, leaving lots of space between each cookie as they will spread a lot as they cook. 6. Then squash each cookie gently with your fingers to make circles approx 5 cm in diameter (they will spread to c9cm in diameter once cooked). 7. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. 8. Allow the cookies to cool on the tray for a few minutes to firm up before moving them onto a wire rack. Eat as soon as the cookies are cool enough, as they are most delicious eaten when still warm and the chocolate is still soft. If you do eat them later, I would suggest that you gently re-warm them in the oven for a few minutes to get that “just baked” taste experience again. These cookies will keep for 4-5 days but they never last that long in our house.
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Pasta!
by Jo Pratt on behalf of Divertimenti Cookery School
Serves 4
Ingredients 4 large eggs, beaten 400g 00 flour, plus a little extra for dusting pinch flaked sea salt
Equipment Pasta Machine Drying Rack for pasta Both available for delivery from www.divertimenti.co.uk
Minutes 60
Difficulty 6/10
To make in a food processor: 1. Put the flour, egg and salt into in a food processor. Blitz to large crumbs – they should come together to form a dough when squeezed. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface, knead for a good few minutes, until smooth and silky. 2. Don’t worry if it’s quite firm as it will soften when it rests. Wrap in cling film and leave to rest for 30 minutes. To make by hand: 1. Put the flour on a clean work surface and make a well in the middle. Add the beaten eggs and using the tips of your fingers, mix into the flour, incorporating a little at a time, until everything is combined and you have a lump of dough. Knead for a good few 2. minutes until smooth and silky. Wrap in cling film and leave to rest for 30 minutes. 3. Cut off ¼ of the dough (keep the rest covered with cling film) and feed it through the widest setting on your pasta machine. (If you don’t have a machine, 4. use a heavy rolling pin to roll the dough as thinly as possible.) Then fold into three, give the dough a quarter turn and feed through the pasta machine again. Repeat this process once more then continue to pass the dough through the machine, progressively narrowing the rollers, one notch at a time, until you have a smooth sheet of pasta. On the narrowest setting, feed the sheet through twice. 5. Cut as required to use for filled pastas like tortellini or raviolli, or cut with the pasta machine or by hand into lengths to make spaghetti, linguine, tagliatelle, or pappardelle. Hang for about 1 hour until dry. Store in a sealed container in the fridge and use within a couple of days, or freeze for 1 month.
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FRIED CAPER, COURGETTE & SARDINE LINGUINE by Jo Pratt on behalf of Divertimenti Cookery School
Ingredients 1 quantity of fresh linguine, or 400g/14oz dried linguine 1 large courgette extra virgin olive oil 3 tbsp capers 2 tbsp pine nuts 240g tinned boneless sardines, in olive oil 2 cloves garlic, crushed or grated finely grated zest and juice of ½ lemon flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Equipment Large frying pan Spiral slicer
Serves 4
Minutes 25
Difficulty 3/10
This recipe has been kindly given to us by Jo Pratt from the Divertimenti cookery school and originally featured The Flexible Pescatarian, White Lion Publishing This is a really healthy one too that is packed with omega fatty acids from the sardines. You can use fresh sardine fillets when in season or frozen which are pretty widely available, but here I’m using tinned sardines in olive oil as they are much easier to get hold of throughout the year.
1. Cook the linguine in boiling salted water, until al dente; 3 minutes for fresh or 10 minutes for dried. Drain and toss in a little oil to prevent it from sticking. 2. Cut the courgette into long thin lengths, and then into thin strips. Alternatively, if you have one, use a spiral cutter to give you courgetti strips. 3. Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat and add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Dry the capers with kitchen paper and add to the pan. Fry until they are golden and crisp. Remove and set aside. 4. Add the courgettes and garlic to the pan. Fry over a high heat until the courgette is softened and taking on a little colour. Flake in the sardines along with any of the oil and toss around to heat through. 5. Add the pasta, lemon juice and lemon zest into the frying pan and gently toss together. Season well with salt and pepper and transfer to serving bowls. 6. Scatter over the capers and pine nuts, and enjoy.
Jo Pratt's Fried Caper, Courgette, and Sardine Linguine
The Community Cookbook
Chococo's Sea Salt Caramel Millionaire’s Shortbread
The Community Cookbook
Another recipe from the Chococo cookbook, this is co-founder Claire’s 21st century twist to a classic afternoon tea treat which brings back memories of her Scottish Granny who made a mean millionaire’s shortbread. “A little bit of what you fancy does you no harm” was her Granny’s motto and how right she was…the difficulty with this treat though is sticking to the “little bit” rule! Claire’s twist is to incorporate sea salt into the caramel, a much loved flavour combination of chocolate makers the world over.
The Community Cookbook
Chococo's Sea Salt Caramel Millionaire’s Shortbread Ingredients Shortbread: 125g unsalted butter cubed 125g plain flour 60g cornflour 60g icing sugar Caramel: 250g light soft brown sugar 200ml double cream 100g soft unsalted butter 1 teaspoon sea salt 200g 70% dark chocolate, chopped
Equipment 22cm square brownie tin fully lined on base & up the sides with foil or baking parchment
Serves 15
Minutes 60
Difficulty 3/10
1. You can mix all the shortbread ingredients together in a food processor or the old fashioned way by hand. 2. Just sieve the flour, cornflour & icing sugar into a large bowl, add the cubed butter and rub together with clean hands until you form a dough. 3. Put the shortbread dough in the fridge for an hour to rest and then press into a lined square tin with your hand and use the back of a spoon to flatten. 4. Whilst the shortbread is resting, preheat the oven to 160 C (325 F) Gas 3 5. Prick the top of the shortbread with a fork before baking for 40-45 minutes.The shortbread will be ready when a light brown in colour & starting to come away from the edges of the tin. Leave the shortbread to cool in the tin for at least an hour before you start on the caramelTo make the caramel, put the sugar and cream in a heavy based pan and heat gently. Stir with a wooden spoon as it comes to the boil which will take a few minutes.Once it is boiling, add the butter and stir.
6. Bring the caramel back to the boil and let it bubble gently for 5 minutes, stirring intermittently. Take it off the heat, add the sea salt, stir vigorously to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed in and then pour the caramel immediately onto the cooled shortbread. 7. Put it into the fridge to cool and set, allow at least an hour.Once the caramel has set, gently melt 140g of the chopped chocolate in a bowl sitting over a pan with a little water in the bottom. Gently warm the water & let the chocolate melt slowly. The moment it has melted, take it off the heat, add the rest of the chocolate & gently stir in until it has all melted. This will help cool the chocolate in the bowl down and is called ‘seed tempering’. 8. The basic idea is to help get the chocolate to the correc ttemperature such that when it sets it will set with a nice sheen (vs being streaky) & have a good snap when it sets. Even melting chocolate carefully in a bain marie as described here will result in it being too hot when melted if you don’t seed temper it! 9. Pour the chocolate on top of the caramel and spread it evenly with a spatula.Leave to cool for the chocolate to set before lifting out of the pan by the parchment & cutting into squares with a hot knife (otherwise the chocolate will shatter into random pieces!). Just remember Granny’s motto...if you can.
Chococo's Chocolate Chip Scones
The Community Cookbook
Another recipe from the Chococo cookbook, this is a domestic version of our popular chocolate chip scones made by our head baker Kev & served in our chocolate house cafes. A scrumptious change from a classic scone, these dinky scones are both super easy to make and quite delicious served warm with clotted cream and your choice of fruit jam (cherry works well for that black forest vibe) or, as we serve them in our cafes, with dulce de leche caramel!
The Community Cookbook
Chococo's Chocolate Chip Scones Ingredients 225g self raising flour 2 tablespoons golden caster sugar & extra for sprinkling 75g unsalted butter, chilled & cubed 75g dark chocolate chopped (or use our 67% mini baking buttons) 2, ideally large, eggs 50ml milk (& more if required) To serve: cherry or rasp jam or dulce de leche caramel clotted cream
Equipment baking tray, lightly greased 6cm fluted biscuit cutter
Makes 10 scones
Serves 4
Minutes 30
Difficulty 1/10
Preheat oven to 220 C/Gas 7 Put the flour into a large bowl and stir in the caster sugar. Add the butter and use your fingertips to rub the butter into the dry ingredients, until the mixture is crumbly. Stir in the chocolate and then add one beaten egg and the milk. Gently mix to a dough – aim for a soft but not sticky consistency. You can gradually add more milk if necessary but do not overwork the dough or you’ll end up with tough scones! When the dough clings together and forms a ball turn it out onto a floured work surface. Use a rolling pin to gently roll to a thickness of 1cm. Use the biscuit cutter to stamp out the scones. You can reroll the trimmings until you have used up all the dough. Transfer to the prepared baking tray. Brush the scone tops with the second beaten egg and sprinkle each with a little caster sugar. Bake in a preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until well risen and lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Best eaten warm with lashings of clotted cream with your choice of jam or dulce de leche. These scones will keep for a few days or can be frozen.
Chococo's Datey Oatey Slices
The Community Cookbook
This recipe was developed by Chococo co-founder Claire Burnet, inspired by the much missed Steph Shepherd who used to run the Lobster Pot cafÊ on Swanage beach for many years and who made a delicious datey oaty slice. This is Claire's version of this tasty (& surprisingly low sugar treat, thanks to the layer of dates in the middle), now served in our Chococo chocolate house cafes. This can also be vegan if made with vegan block instead of butter.
The Community Cookbook
Chococo's Datey Oaty Slices (option to be vegan) Ingredients Date paste ingredients: 400g dates – roughly chopped (block dates work just as well for this recipe as loose dried dates) 250g water Zest of ½ a lemon Flapjack ingredients: 350g porridge oats ½ teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon sea salt - crushed 200g unsalted butter or vegan block (if you want to make it vegan) 80g soft light brown sugar 3 level tablespoons golden syrup (top tip - do NOT add too much syrup as it will make the flapjack too sticky & sweet!
Equipment 23cm square brownie tin lined with baking parchment
Serves lots
Minutes 60
Difficulty 3/10
Preheat oven to 170 C Mix the baking powder & sea salt in with the oats & set aside Put the dates, water & lemon zest into a pan & gently heat for a few minutes so that the dates absorb the water Take off the heat & use a potato masher or blender to mash the dates mixture into a smooth paste Put the date paste into a flat dish to help it cool quickly In the same pan, melt the butter (or vegan block), sugar & syrup until melted thoroughly Pour the oats mixture into the pan of melted butter mixture & mix thoroughly to coat all the oats Spread half the oat mixture into the bottom of the tin Layer the date paste on top – be careful, it’s sticky! Use the back of a metal spoon to help flatten it! Then finish off with the remaining oat mixture & pat down gently (don’t flatten it too hard but aim for a flat top which covers the date mix) Bake for c30 minutes until golden brown on top
Makes c16 squares depends how big or small you cut them!
leave to cool completely before cutting into pieces and enjoy with a hot chocolate or a coffee!
Claire's Chocoatey Orangey Flapjacks
The Community Cookbook
Long on energy-giving oats, orange zest, dried fruits and dark chocolate, these flapjacks are anotherecipe from the Chococo Chocolate Cookbook. They are very easy to make and are perfect for lunchboxes, walking & camping expeditions, beach adventures and picnics‌with lashings of ginger beer! By all means change the dried fruits to suit whatever you prefer/have in your cupboards. The other beauty of this recipe is that it is actually very low in sugar compared to most flapjacks.
The Community Cookbook
Claire's Chocolatey Orangey Flapjacks Ingredients 300g rolled oats 60g raisins or sultanas 60g dried cranberries, chopped dried apricots or dates 100g dark chocolate (c70%), chopped 80g light soft brown sugar 140g unsalted butter, cubed 3 tablespoons golden syrup Zest of ½ orange (or whole orange if small) 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice (usually about half an orange)
Equipment 23cm square or similar rectangular baking tin lined with baking parchment
Makes 12-16 flapjacks - depends how big or small you cut them!
Serves lots
Minutes 45
Difficulty 1/10
Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F)/Gas Mark 4
Mix the oats with the dried fruits in a large bowl. Put the chocolate, sugar, butter, orange zest, orange juice and golden syrup into a large heavy based pan on a low heat and melt. Stir occasionally and once the sugar has dissolved, pour the oat mixture into the pan and stir together until all the oats are coated. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until browned around the outside edge and firm to the touch.. Leave the flapjacks to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes and then score the slices with a knife. Leave to cool completely before fully cutting the slices. These flapjacks will keep stored in an airtight container for several days‌as if!
Claire's Showstopper Ganahe Tart
The Community Cookbook
For a showstopper that doesn’t involve any baking, this is hard to beat. You will just need to give yourself enough time to make all the elements. However, if you don’t want to decorate it with chocolate shards & curls, don’t worry, cherries piled into the middle of the tart & sprinkled with icing sugar just before serving would look just as stunning! I have given this a Black Forest theme as the tart includes griottine cherries marinated in kirsch, but these are optional or could be replaced by other fruits, or with none at all.
The Community Cookbook
Claire's Showstopper Ganache Tart Ingredients Base: 200g all butter shortbread 60g unsalted butter ½ tablespoon soft light brown sugar Ganche: 250g dark 70% chocolate, chopped 300ml double cream 35g unsalted butter 80g dark soft brown sugar ½ teaspoon sea salt, crushed Optional: 100g griottine cherries (or fresh raspberries if you can’t find these cherries) 1-2 tbsp kirsch juice (from the cherries) Optional decoration: 1 edible pattern transfer sheet (available from online cake decorating suppliers) 200g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids) chopped Fresh cherries or berry fruits of your choice.
Equipment 20cm loose bottomed cake tin lined with parchment
Serves 8
Minutes
3-4 hours
Difficulty 8/10
To make the biscuit base for the tart, gently melt the butter & light softbrown sugar in a pan and crush the shortbreads into powder using either a food processor or by putting the biscuits into a strong plastic bag and bashing them very well with a rolling pin. Mix the biscuits with the melted butter & sugar mixture, press firmly into the base of the cake tin and put in the fridge to chill. Whilst the base is chilling, put the cream, sugar and salt for the ganache in a heavy-based pan and warm gently to melt the sugar. Stir this mixture continuously and take it off the heat as soon as it comes to the boil. Add the chopped chocolate & butter, stirring gently to melt together and form the ganache. If the chocolate doesn’t all melt, put the pan back onto a very gentle heat stirring gently all the time to ensure that the mixture doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan. Then, if using, add the kirsch juice to taste (if just 1 tablespoon doesn’t do it for you!). Set aside to cool for at least an hour. By the way, if the mixture “splits” (doesn’t blend) on you, you may need to add a little more warm cream & stir in gently to help it re-blend into a smooth shiny “emulsion”. Place 100g of griottine cherries in a shallow dish & pat dry with kitchen roll to remove excess kirsch juice. Pour a thin layer of the cooled ganache onto the chilled base and sprinkle the cherries before covering them with the rest of the ganache and leave to finish setting in a cool place for several hours. Ideally, you would put this tart in a cool, dry room to set rather than in the fridge as this will help maintain the shine on the top of the ganache. If however, your only option is the fridge, put it in there to set.
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Claire's Showstopper Ganache Tart - decorating ideas You can simply decorate the tart with cherries &/or other berry fruits or have some fun with melting chocolate to make shards & curls whilst the tart is setting! To make the chocolate shards & curls, melt 125g of the 200g of dark chocolate in a bowl sitting over a pan of gently simmering water (the water must not touch the bottom of the bowl). As soon as it has melted, take the bowl off the heat, add the remaining 75g of chopped chocolate and stir gently to melt into the liquid chocolate. This will bring the temperature of the chocolate down to the right ball park to work with. As soon as the chocolate has melted together, spread a thin layer across the edible pattern on a baking tray. If you don’t have a printed edible pattern sheet, you can use thick plastic, eg: a laminating pouch. Cut different sizes of triangle shapes into the chocolate before it sets hard. Put in a cool room or fridge to set (it shouldn’t take long as it is so thin). Top tip: dont try to peel the chocolate away from the transfer too quickly though, it needs a bit of time for the pattern to transfer onto the chocolate! With your remaining melted chocolate, pour it onto a cold surface in a thin layer and soon as it starts to set, scrape a cold knife away from you in short sharp motions to create curls.  When you are ready to serve, remove the tart from the tin and enjoy decorating it to your own design. Use a hot knife to cut slices from the tart and serve with whipped cream for the full Black Forest experience!
Showstopper Ganache Tart
The Community Cookbook
Granny's Brack Tea loaf
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Another family favourite of co-founder Claire & a recipe passed on from her mum (aren't all the best recipes handed down from mums?), so it is now known as Granny's Brack, aka a super fruity tea loaf. This recipe couldn't be easier, you just need to give it time and allow the fruit to soak in the tea overnight for the best results. Totally delicious sliced with butter & eaten with a hot chocolate!
The Community Cookbook
Granny's Brack Super fruity (& super easy) tea loaf Ingredients 1 mug of cold tea 125g light soft brown sugar
Serves lots
Minutes
90 + overnight
Difficulty 1/10
225g sultanas 300g raisins or a mix of raisins & currants
Put the dried fruit & sugar in a bowl, pour over the cold tea, stir, cover & leave for several hours, ideally overnight.
1 large egg, beaten
Pre-heat the oven to 150Â degrees C
250g self raising flour
Add the beaten egg and flour to the bowl and stir in. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin & bake at 150 degrees for 1 and half hours or until the top is nicely brown and a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool before cutting into slices – delicious with or without butter, but definitely with a hot chocolate!
Equipment loaf tin, greased or lined with paper
Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate
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Life wouldnt be worth living without hot chocolate in it we say! Since writing this recipe we have discovered the joy of using a nutribullet to give you a wonderful froth and creaminess to your hot chocolate instead of whisking by hand - look out for a video on our facebook & instagram feeds....
The Community Cookbook
Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate Ingredients 250ml milk, whole or semi skimmed 25g 70% good quality dark chocolate, chopped 1 tsp dulce de leche caramel 1/10 tsp of crushed sea salt (or a large pinch) Optional to serve: 2 tbsp whipping cream Flaked dark chocolate
Serves 1
Minutes 5-10
Difficulty 1/10
If you are going to top your hot chocolate with cream & flaked chocolate, I suggest you prepare these first. Claire recommends whisking a small amount of fresh whipping cream by hand to soft peaks than using canned cream, but you can use that sort of cream if you want. To flake the chocolate, run a knife along the back of the rest of the bar of chocolate in short sharp motions to create simple flakes. Put the chopped chocolate and 2 tablespoons of the ilk into a small heavy based pan and warm gently to melt the chocolate into the milk. Use a small balloon whisk to stir this mixture into a smooth paste and once the chocolate has all melted, add the rest of the milk, caramel & salt. Keep whisking the mixture to help melt the caramel and the moment it starts to boil, take off the heat and whisk vigorously to make a foam. Pour your foaming hot chocolate into your mug, top with cream and chocolate flakes and enjoy!
|The Chococo Surprise Cake
The Community Cookbook
A fun cake to make with the kids and one of the recipes from the Chococo chocolate cookbook. This cake breaks all Claire's rules about food colourings, but amuses the kids and is a good way to get reluctant bakers involved. It makes for a fun cake for lockdown celebrations too...
The Community Cookbook
The Chococo Surprise Cake page 1 of 2 Ingredients 260g unsalted butter, soft at room temperature 260g golden caster sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 4 eggs, lightly beaten 260g self-raising flour ¼ teaspoon baking powder 1 tablespoon milk, if required Food colourings of your choice Chocolate ganache: 200g dark chocolate, chopped 250ml double cream 25g unsalted butter, softened Decoration ideas - see next page
Serves 6-8
Minutes
60 minutes
Difficulty 5/10
Pre-heat the oven to 180 C, 350 F, Gas Mark 4
Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric hand whisk until creamy & light in colour. Gradually add the beaten eggs and vanilla extract to the sugar & butter mixture Sift in the flour and baking powder and fold in gently with a tablespoon. If the mixture feels very stiff, add the milk to loosen it slightly. Split the mixture into 3 portions in 3 separate bowls. Add a touch of colouring to 2 of the bowls, leaving one plain. I like to add just a little colouring (max 1/4 of a tsp) to make my colours, but your call if you want them more vibrant! Stir in the colourings gently. You do not want to overwork the cake mixture at this point as it will make your cake heavy. Put small dollops of each of the colours around the tins in a random pattern & then smooth the top with a palette knife.
Equipment x2 20cm round cake tins, lightly greased and dusted in cocoa powder
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the sponge springs back when lightly pressed and a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes before turning the cakes out on a cake rack to cool completely. To make the ganache & decorate your cake- see next page...
The Community Cookbook
The Chococo Surprise Cake - decoration Decoration idea (optional): A bar of good quality milk chocolate to make curls (the simplest way to create little curls is to use a cheese grater or drag a knife across the back of the bar for thin shards – get an adult to do this for you!) Sifted icing sugar to dust Decorations of your choice
Serves 6-8
Minutes
60 minutes
Difficulty 5/10
To make the ganache, put the chopped chocolate and cream and butter in a heavy based pan and warm gently. Stir until the chocolate melts and blends into the cream. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for a few minutes to thicken slightly before decorating your cake. Spread one half of the cooled cake with 5 heaped tablespoons of ganache and sandwich together with the other half.  This is best done while the cake is still on the wire rack and with a sheet of baking parchment underneath to catch any drips. Working quickly, pour the rest of the ganache over the top of the cake and smooth it over the top and sides with a palette knife. To finish it, I like to arrange chocolate curls in the middle of the cake, dusted through a sieve with a touch of icing sugar, but you could decorate it however appeals to you, or leave it plain – it is still just as stunning.
A nice picture of chocolate from our Chococo cookbook!
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Balsamic Berry Chocolate Mousse
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Another very easy recipe to make from the Chococo chocolate cookbook & as berry fruits come into season, a lovely chocolate mousse dessert for the summer. Make sure you use the finest quality balsamic vinegar you can though.
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The Chococo Balsamic Berry Chocolate Mousse Ingredients
150g dark chocolate, 60-70% cocoa solids 75g unsalted butter, soft 2 egg yolks, at room temperature 1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar 3 egg whites, at room temperature 2 tbsp golden caster sugar
Serves 6
Minutes
15 minutes + setting time
Difficulty 3/10
Wash & dry the fruits, keep 6 of each back for decoration, and gently mash the rest together with a fork and the icing sugar for a touch of sweetness. Place a dollop of fruit in the bottom of each of the dishes Melt the chocolate very gently in a bowl sitting over a pan of barely simmering water, don’t let the bowl touch the water.
75g fresh strawberries 75g fresh raspberries 1 tsp icing sugar
Immediately the chocolate has melted, take the bowl off the pan, add the butter and stir in to melt. Then add the egg yolks and finally the balsamic vinegar.
Icing sugar for dusting
In a separate clean bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, add the caster sugar and whisk again. Gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. A light touch is what is needed here, as if you beat this too much you will lose the air in the whisked egg whites. Ensure you pick up all the chocolate mixture at the bottom of the bowl though as you fold the two mixtures together. Carefully put the mousse into each cup with a small spoon (to ensure you don’t drop any around the sides of the dishes), on top of the fruits.
Equipment x6 ramekins or small coffee cups
Put the mousses in the fridge to set until required. Take the mousses out of the fridge and allow to return to room temperature before serving, decorated with the reserved fruit on top (or to the side if you prefer) and a light dusting of sieved icing sugar on top of each mousse.
Simple Store cupbaord Chocolate Slabs
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The simplest lockdown treat possible - as made by Claire & feastured on instagram in late April when she had a mid morning urge for something chocolatey yet biscuity! Using store cupboard ingredients, these slabs are super easy & super quick to make.
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Simple Store Cupboard chocolate slabs Ingredients 150g chocolate can be all milk or all dark or a mix of both c5-6 biscuits eg: digestives, rich tea, ginger nuts etc c25-50g of peanuts or pecans or hazelnuts or raisins, dates, apricots etc! ie: basically whatever you have in your cupboards that you think might work - most things will, even pretzels are tasty!
Serves 2-4Â
Minutes
15-20 minutes
Difficulty 1/10
Break up the chocolate into smallish pieces & put c70% of the chocolate into a glass or metal bowl sitting over a pan which has a small amount of water in the bottom Heat gently - do not allow the water to boil! When most of the chocolate has melted, take the bowl off the heat, add the rest of the chopped chocolate & gently stir until all the chocolate melts - this will help bring the temperature of the chocolate down, to help give you a kitchen logic temper which means your chocolate slabs will set nicely & break with a snap (don't worry too much about the science here - this is a simple snack!) Put your biscuits in a bag & gently bash with a rolling pin you want bits of biscuit, not fine crumbs Add any bashed nuts, chopped fruits to suit (& depending what you can find in your cupboards!) Add to the melted chocolate & stir until everything is coated in chocolate Pour out onto the prepared tray and smooth to a flat layer
Equipment x1 baking tray lined with greaseproof paper
Pop into the fridge for c10 minutes or until set Voila! Enjoy!
Chococo Goldies - Blondies but not as you know them!
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After many attempts, co-founder Claire & her daughter Lily, finally cracked the Chococo recipe for Goldies during lockdown on May 1st - so step aside Blondies & all hail Goldies! Why Goldie? Well these scrumptious morsels contain our 'Gold' caramelised white chocolate buttons, instead of normal white chocolate, AND also both dark chocolate buttons & roasted cocoa nibs, to counter balance the caramel sweetness. These are naughty (close your eyes to the amount of sugar in them but believe us when we say that these contain much less sugar than most classic blondie recipes), but oh so very nice....
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Chococo Goldies Ingredients 200g plain flour 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp sea salt, crushed 200g light soft brown sugar 175g unsalted butter, melted 2 large eggs, beaten 1 tsp vanilla extract 140g Gold chocolate buttons (or white chocolate buttons if you cant get Gold) 50g dark chocolate, chopped (60-&70% cocoa solids) 25g cocoa nibs (optional), or you could use chopped nuts here eg: pecans, walnuts
Serves 4-8
Minutes
45 (+ cooling)
Difficulty 3/10
Pre-heat the oven to 180 C Melt the butter in a bowl in the microwave (in short bursts to prevent any risk of burning) or in a pan on a gentle heat and set aside to cool Sieve the flour into a bowl, add the baking powder & salt and stir in Put c80% of your chocolate buttons & nibs into the flour bowl & stir in. In another large bowl, whisk the cooled melted butter & sugar together by hand using a balloon whisk Add the beaten eggs and vanilla extract and whisk by hand until all blended & slightly lighter in colour Add the flour and gently fold it into the wet ingredients with a wooden spoon or spatula - do not beat or work this too much - gently does it! Pour the batter into your prepared tin
Equipment x1 22cm square brownie tin lined with greaseproof paper
Sprinkle the remaining chocolate buttons & nibs on top of the batter & gently press them in using the back of a metal spoon Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown. A skewer should come out mostly clean but, if you prefer it firmer and more cake-like in terms of its consistency, cook it for a few minutes longer. leave to cool before cutting into slices - will make 12-16 slices depending on how hungry your hordes are...
Jemma's Cappuccino Cake with Madagascar sprinlkes
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Our lovely Jemma from the Chococo Horsham team has been busy creating this amazing Cappuccino cake with a coffee filling and topped with our own Madagascar 70% dark chocolate flakes. All the flavours of an amazing Chococo Cappuccino, in a cake!
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Jemma's Cappuccino Cake with chocolate sprinkles Ingredients 4 eggs, beaten 3 heaped teaspoons of instant coffee, dissolved in a small amount of warm water 225g softened butter 225g caster sugar 225g self raising flour 2 tsp baking powder
For the icing: 50 unstalted softened butter 170g icing sugar 2 heaped teaspoons instant coffee dissolved in a very small amount of warm water 1 tsp milk, if needed
Serves 4-8
Minutes
45 (+ cooling)
Difficulty 3/10
Pre-heat the oven to 180 C. Grease and base line 2 x 8 inch sandwich tins with greaseproof paper and butter. Place the eggs in a large mixing bowl and stir in the coffee until dissolved, Sift in the flour and baking powder, and add all of the remaining ingredients and mix until thoroughly blended. Divide evenly between the baking pans and level the tops with a back of a spoon or by tapping the base of the tin on a flat surface. Bake each sponge for 25 minutes until well risen and the tops of the cakes spring back when lightly pressed with your finger. Leave to cool in the tins for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool fully. Make your filling by blending together the butter, icing sugar and dissolved coffee mix until smooth. Add milk to thin out if necessary.
Equipment 2 x 8inch round cake pans
When the cakes are fully cooled, use half of the butter cream to sandwich the two sponges together and half ice the top of the cake. Finish by sprinkling over your 70% Madagascar flakes. Perfect to enjoy with a hot chocolate!
Flourless Chocolate Cake
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This flourless chocolate cake recipe, created by co-founder Claire, first appeared in our Chococo cookbook back in 2011 and is very apt for these times of sometimes limited flour supplies You can include chilli for a gently warming spice note, but it's optional & either way, it's delicious!
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Claire's Flourless Chocolate Cake Ingredients 200g dark chocolate (c70% cocoa solids), chopped 150g unsalted butter chilled & cubed 5 eggs, separated 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 100g light soft brown sugar 50g ground almonds or instant polenta 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, crushed 1 teaspoon ancho (or any mild) chilli powder - optional
To decorate: sifted icing sugar & cocoa powder to dust
Serves 8
Minutes
45 (+ cooling)
Difficulty 3/10
Pre-heat the oven to 180 C. Put the chocolate and butter in a saucepan and melt over a low heat (watch it to ensure the chocolate doesnt burn!) & set aside to cook Cream the egg yolks, vanilla & sugar together in a large bowl until creamy & lighter in colour In a clean, grease-free bowl, whisk the egg whites with a handheld electric mixer, until stiffly peaking Gently mix the cooled chocolate mixture into the egg yolk mixture and then add the ground almonds (or polenta), sea salt & chilli, if you are using Gradually fold the egg whites into the mixture using a metal spoon - as gently as you can so that you don't lose the air in the eggs Bake in the pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes, until the cake has risen and a skewer comes out clean. The cake will sink as it cools, so don't worry when that happens.
Equipment 22cm loose-based cake tin, greased & lined with baking parchment
Once cool, decorate however you fancy - a simple sprinkling of cocoa powder or icing sugar will look lovely To create the effect in the picture, create a stencil (in what whatever shape you like) with a sheet of paper. Then liberally dust the entire cake in sifted icing sugar. Then gently place the stencil on top & dust through the cut-out shape with cocoa powder to finish. I love to serve this with creme fraiche & raspberries